Hornets in British service

[Kingsman]

It seems that story has become conflated/embellished along the line in the corridors of MOD(PE) (as it was called when I joined it a couple of years after the Falklands), and if incorrect I apologise.  I believe it is a matter of public record that she asked 1SL why we couldn't send the Ark and was unaware of her decommissioning.

 

That wasn't the first and won't be the last project to go to IAC on the basis that "we're doing what S of S or Minister has instructed so approve it" only to be sent away to provide the necessary compelling evidence - which no-one had bother to collect or compile based on huge approval over-confidence.  Marinised Chinook was one of those, never to see the light of day again.  I've worked on or been associated with a couple which went that way and it it still happening on the work I'm doing for MOD today - although now as an agency contractor rather than on the books so I don't feel the need to lose sleep over the client's decisions contrary to advice.

 

For rotorcraft the cost rule of thumb used to be (some years ago now, admittedly) that operating them through life (net of fuel etc consumed) will cost about 12 times the capital purchase and integration cost: having them donated free only saves about 8% of the through-life cost.  Fast jet was about 9 times.  With changes to maintenance regimes and greater efficiency I imagine these have gone down now.  But it underscores the critical importance of modelling and understanding the alleged operating costs of proposed new equipment compared to its alleged operational effectiveness.  Political industrial decisions notwithstanding.

[SJBF6967]

Fantastic, I will never understand why we had to have the F35, our Air Force should have used the Super Hornet, Growler & Eurofighter.

[whiskey]

So I was watching videos of F-14's on YouTube (looking for inspiration!) and I came across one of a DCS simulator "cinematic movie." Anyway I looked some things up because it was so cool and sure enough you can fly a Tomcat in these liveries. I know you built a Royal Navy one before so I figured it would be relevant.

 

[Wulfman]

Getting back to the original posting, two beautiful builds, I love the Navy version.

[Truro Model Builder]

Cracking builds.

 

Coming to the question of what the Fleet Air Arm may have ended up with had CVA01 not been cancelled, I believe that, depending on the time frame, the F/A-18 would have been the only game in town. The F-14 was too expensive and too limited in terms of role capability (and possibly too big) for CVA01, unless a joint RAF/RN order was placed in the mid-1980s at the expense of the Tornado F.3. Even then, I still think it would have been unlikely, so the F/A-18 is left once again as the front runner. The next question is, which variant.

 

The RAF were happy to keep both the Phantom and Buccaneer in service until the early 1990s, which probably would have twisted the Navy's arm to have done the same. Had the Admiralty wanted something sooner, then probably the Hornet would have ended up replacing the Phantom from the late 1980s and then the Buccaneer, leaving an all-Hornet force by the time the Cold War was winding up. Had the Phantom and Buccaneer been retained, then the Navy may well have plumped for the Super Hornet, perhaps shouldering some of the development costs, with perhaps a lease of F/A-18As to bridge the gap. The Super Bug did not receive IOC until 2001, so it is unlikely that the Fleet Air Arm would have received any until 2002-03.

 

There are two alternatives in a later purchase scenario. The Rafale M entered service at about the same time as the Super Hornet. Although British Aerospace was involved with Eurofighter the Navy could have pushed for Rafale, though I think it would have been unlikely with the Super Hornet being available. The last option would have been for a naval version of the Typhoon. With possibly three CVA01 class ships in commission, the Fleet Air Arm may have have required at least two air groups' worth of aircraft plus attrition and a training unit, possibly about 100 aircraft. This would have made a Sea Typhoon viable, possibly even as a higher priority over Air Force needs -as happened in France with the Rafale.

 

Had either F/A-18 been chosen, then the Royal Navy would now be looking to replace both it and the CVA01 class with new equipment, undoubtedly the F-35C and a new CATOBAR-fitted carrier fleet.

[F-32]